Brushing Teeth

The True Risks of Delayed Dental Care

Brushing and flossing every day is just one way to help maintain good oral health. The other essential element is regular dental exams at your Long Grove, IL dentist. Sometimes, people think because they have good oral hygiene habits, they don’t need to keep up with their regular checkups. Sometimes, people mistakenly think they don’t need in-between appointments unless something goes wrong or they experience pain. While maintaining good oral hygiene habits is essential to a healthy mouth, regularly scheduled exams are too. Delaying dental care can turn into a serious matter quickly. Regular exams allow dental professionals to spot potential problems before they occur and provide preventative treatment options. When they discover a cavity or early signs of gum disease, treatments can be quick and effective. Delaying dental care can put you at risk for developing more serious dental problems. Routine dental exams and professional oral care should not be delayed.

Dental Issues Don’t Just Disappear

Very few health issues go away, given enough time. Dental issues won’t go away; instead, they will become worse with time. A small cavity left to itself will not improve even if you step up your dental hygiene habits. The longer dental care is avoided, the worse the tooth can get. Once decay has begun, it will not just stop. It will need to be treated by a dental professional to protect the teeth and other teeth around it. Trying DIY treatments from home and homeopathic remedies can often just allow time for an infection to grow worse. When infection or decay becomes more widespread, more aggressive treatments will be needed. Visiting Creekside Dental for regular checkups can help reveal problems early on so treatment can be effective.

I’m Not in Any Pain, Why Go to the Dentist?

Pain has a way of getting your attention, especially when it’s a toothache. When left untreated, it can increase to an unbearable rate. Tooth pain from a cavity or an abscess can be uncomfortable and initiate a call to the dentist’s office. However, the lack of pain does not always suggest there’s nothing wrong. By the time you start experiencing the pain, the problem may be way out of hand. In severe cases where there is a cavity or an abscess, the nerve may become damaged and deadened, so there’s no pain involved. Even if you are not experiencing pain, regular visits with our Long Grove, IL dental team should be routine.  Dental professionals can oftentimes detect and treat problems before it can start to cause pain. Delaying your dental care until you are in pain can be risky and can mean you’ll need more invasive and oftentimes more costly treatments to fix it.

Delayed Dental Exams Can Cost More Money

As dental problems worsen, your treatment and restoration options change. When a cavity is discovered during a routine exam, it can be treated to prevent it from spreading or causing more damage. But when regular exams are skipped, it gives decay more time to spread. What could have been treated with a simple filling is now an abscess and now you may possibly need a root canal, a crown, and multiple fillings or in the worst-case scenario, you could lose your tooth because it needs to be extracted.. Your out-of-pocket costs can increase, even if you have insurance. More extensive treatments will also cost you more time in the dental office. Routine visits can allow for treating issues at their onset. They can save your money, your teeth, and your smile.

Contact Us for Your Routine Exam

If it’s been close to six months since your exam, please contact our offices and schedule an appointment with Dr. William McCune or Dr. John Micaletti. Our professional dental team is ready to help you maintain a healthy mouth and gums.

 

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